Delivering more than packages

I don't know what it is about UPS delivery people, but they seem to be a nice bunch.

On the Friday after Sandy's death, I was a few blocks from home on the way to her yoga class to let them know what happened when I saw my regular UPS delivery person. He greeted me with a smile and asked how I was. I said, "Not great," and started crying as I told him that Sandy died. He put down his package, gave me a hug, and said, "I really liked her." I said, "Yeah, I did, too."

Today, it took me a minute to get to the door after the doorbell rang. Some supplements I ordered were sitting on the porch for me, and the delivery guy was almost back to his truck. He heard me open the door and came back to ask how I am. I said something light about trying to keep the cat inside. He looked at me with concern in his eyes and a smile on his face, and said, "I'm checking up on you."

Most of the things Sandy bought online ended up in the TV
room, where she had plenty of help from kittens.

It's not just this guy either; we've always had great luck with UPS workers. Several years ago, Sandy was doing a lot of online shopping, mainly ordering DVDs and electronics. She worked at Microsoft then, so I was the one answering the door and I got to know the UPS delivery person well enough that we'd spend ten minutes discussing different aspects of the garden and whether the same plants would work in his, local politics, or even ideas for dinner menus. I never knew his name (and for the first year or so, he assumed I was Sandy, as everything was addressed to her), but I knew a lot about his life.

Around the time I bought the house in 1995, I ordered several things, including a small tree, by mail. The delivery person for this address was the same guy I knew from the bookstore, a few blocks away. Since he knew I volunteered there, if I wasn't home when he rang the doorbell, he was kind enough to take it upon himself to deliver things to the bookstore for me so I could fetch them later. I knew when he married, when he had his first child, and other landmark events in his life. I realized a few days ago that his first child must be graduating high school soon if she hasn't already. Though he hasn't had our house on his route for years, I still see him frequently as he drives through the neighborhood, and he always waves and sometimes we chat briefly.

Our USPS mail carrier has been thoughtful and inquired about me several times, but never with the same level of concern and connection. The Fed Ex folks never stick around beyond hello and don't seem to have a regular route; it's a different person every time. But I feel a genuine connection with the UPS delivery people I've known in Seattle. I wonder if that's true everywhere. If it is, it's good for the customers, employees, company, and the community. That's a nice package deal, right there.